PORTLAND, Texas – Sophomore Beth Montes (San Antonio, Texas) and junior Saidi Castillo (Kingsville, Texas) combined to throw 13 scoreless innings and permit only five hits while leading the Texas A&M-Kingsville softball team to an 8-0 victory over the Hilllsdale Chargers and a 6-0 triumph over the Henderson State Reddies on Sunday afternoon at the Portland Sports Complex in Portland, Texas.
The Javelinas have won eight straight games and are 8-1 on the season.
TAMUK vs. Hillsdale
In their second matchup against the Chargers in as many days, the Javelinas got on the board in the first inning when senior Loren Kelly (Rockport, Texas) beat out an infield single, stole second and moved up on back-to-back groundouts. The Javs scored again in the second thanks to an Aaliyah Ortiz (San Antonio, Texas) single, a hit batter and a sacrifice that plated pinch-runner Sarah Montes (San Antonio, Texas).
Kelly reached again when she singled to begin the third and two batters later, sophomore Kayla Gonzales (San Antonio, Texas) hit a two-run laser over the center field fence to make the score 4-0.
That lead was entrusted to Montes, who retired 12 of the first 13 batters she faced and struck out the side in the third. Montes ended the game with her second win of the season after six innings of two-hit ball in which she walked only one and struck out seven over six frames.
TAMUK's fifth run scored on a double steal in the fourth and two innings later, they put together a rally that clinched the win. One-out singles by senior Jennifer Giesey (Crystal Lake, Ill.), Kelly and junior Jory Cervantes (Pflugerville, Texas) loaded the bases and a Gonzales groundout plated Giesey. An error on the next play brought in Kelly and Cervantes to finish off the Javs' 8-0 win.
TAMUK vs. Henderson State
The second game of the day started with a pair of zeroes on both sides before sophomore Breanna Carr (Kingsville, Texas) scored on a wild pitch and an error in the third.
Junior Matisen Onofrei (Mesa, Ariz.) led off the fourth by drilling the inning's second pitch to left for her second home run of the season. Three batters later, with two on, Carr slapped an RBI single into left and she later combined with sophomore Kytana Muniz (Harlingen, Texas) on a double steal that made the score 4-0. The Javelinas' final runs of the weekend were scored in the fifth on a bases loaded fielder's choice and an RBI double courtesy of Gonzales.
In the circle for the Blue and Gold was Castillo and she fired her second straight three-hit shutout. The junior from Kingsville racked up 11 strikeouts, her highest total since her freshman year in 2019, and she didn't issue a walk. Castillo struck out the side in the second and fifth innings and stranded two runners in scoring position in the seventh to keep her second shutout of the year intact.
The next chance for the Javelinas to take the field comes on Saturday, when they'll take on Ouachita Baptist and Christian Brothers in Arkadelphia, Ark. Stay current with Javelina softball by following @TAMUKSB and @JavelinaSports on both Twitter and Instagram, liking the Javelina Sports Facebook page, subscribing to the Javelina Athletics YouTube Channel and visiting Javelinaathletics.com. Watch your Javelinas live today on the Javelina Sports Network sponsored by Mendoza's Pharmacy.
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